


Heroes or Students

by MusicallyActive



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Dimension Travel, Established Relationship, Friends to Lovers, M/M, More to come later on!, This is a johndave centric story but there is more plot than romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2019-04-18 18:17:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14218956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicallyActive/pseuds/MusicallyActive
Summary: Your name is John Egbert and you’re a superhero. From a young age you’ve had a strong connection with the wind, in fact you can’t think of a time where you didn’t feel a rush of giddish joy at the swirls of air that seem to surround you in the spring or summer hillsides.When you and your friends become a renowned superhero team called the Betas, you get used to fighting bad guys and leading a team of heroes.All of this changes, however, during a single fight with none other than the Black Queen herself





	1. Chapter One: A Battle With a Queen

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I'm trying out writing a long-term project for the first time and if all goes according to plan I'll update this fic once or twice every two weeks if this gets enough positive support! I hope y'all like it!

Your name is John Egbert and you’re a superhero. From a young age you’ve had a strong connection with the wind, in fact you can’t think of a time where you _didn’t_ feel a rush of giddish joy at the swirls of air that seem to surround you in the spring or summer hillsides.

 

It only took a small incident with a swing set in second grade for you to start developing certain… abilities.

 

You were only nine, and even with the full force of your tiny body, you couldn’t seem to get the stupid swing to work. Your dad had turned around for only a moment, so it was obviously quite a shock for him to find his son suddenly squealing with joy and surrounded by a mini tornado of spring breeze.

 

Your abilities morphed from a simple breeze, to gusts of air, to nearly giving your father a heart attack when you flew into the living room at the age of twelve.

 

Eventually, you figured out from your grandpa (Grandpa Harley, you liked to call him) that your cousin Jade had been experiencing somewhat similar bursts of superhuman abilities. Something plant related, according to Grandpa Harley’s tales of vines that appear to follow Jade wherever she goes.

 

You turned thirteen and started talking with Jade a lot more, you were even introduced to her friend Rose! Rose was awesome, both you and Jade could agree on that.

 

Rose introduced you to Dave, and the four of you started talking regularly after that, becoming close friends well past middle school, yet you and Jade still managed to keep the whole “superpowers” thing well under wraps after you learned how to control the sudden lapses of power better.

 

You had a sneaking suspicion that Rose knew something was up long before you told her about your powers, but oh well.

 

It had only taken a mishap in Ms.LaLonde’s personal lab for Rose to start developing her own, quirks, you could say.

 

Jade, who was always just a bit more perceptive than you, recognized the signs similar to what the two of you had experienced since birth and had strongly suggested that they tell her about their powers 'because she needs someone to be there for her silly! weve got superpowers and thats a lot to take on when youve never had them before! :P'

 

The two of you told Rose about your less than normal powers towards the end of your senior year in highschool. At which she admitted to you and Jade of her own abilities, enhanced strength and supposed visions that allow her to see into the near future, that had seemingly started after the “incident” in her mother’s lab.

 

It didn’t take long for Dave to finally be told of the abilities of his friends, (None of you liked keeping secrets from him), and needless to say he was justifiably shocked, even if it didn’t show on his face very well.

 

The four of you, and your dad and grandpa, decided it was for the best that these abilities were kept on the downlow. And you managed to keep them hidden surprisingly well! At least, until the first of what was soon to be many robberies got published all over Washington’s newspapers.

 

The mysterious criminal who goes by the initials LE, started rampaging the city’s banks and, surprisingly enough, radiation plantations during the August of John’s second year of college; it only took three major attacks from LE on weapons facilities for you and Dave, who had been your roommate and silent crush for the last two years of school, to get worried enough to call up Rose and Jade for a discussion.

 

Of course, it was only a mere month after that fateful day that Rose and Jade flew down to Washington. And it was only a mere month after that fateful day, that a team of masked heros calling themselves The Betas started showing up to take on any robbery or heist that anyone would dare pull in the city limits. (None of you could’ve stopped Dave from joining the team even if you had wanted to. There was no way he was going to let the three of you risk your lives on the daily without him being there at your sides)

 

LE, who you’ve come to regard as Lord English as stated by the local police investigations, almost immediately retaliated to your group’s efforts of stopping his heists. Even going as far as amassing a team of people to assist his heists or pull a few of their own.

 

A year after graduating college with a Bachelor’s and Graduate’s degree, four years after becoming a member of The Betas, eight months after an incident in a radiation lab that followed the disappearance of Lord English, and three years after finally confessing and hooking up with Dave, leads you to where you are now. Age twenty three, and leader of a band of superheroes, your best friends, who are about to take on one of your main villains, the Black Queen.

 

“Alright, here’s the plan.” Rose called from her spot leaning against the roof’s edge.

“I can’t seem to see the playout for this fight, so we’ll have to go with what I can manage to recollect as of now.” She motions towards Jade and points towards the museum of history on the other side of the the park. “I believe it would be in our best interests to have Jade on crowd control. There’s only a few minutes before the Queen sets loose her robotic creatures into the general park and museum, and as far as I can tell there’s a high chance that they won’t hold back against civilians.”

 

You nod, noticing Jade mimic the motion in your peripheral vision. Dave stands stoically still by your side, a comforting presence that both puts you at ease and worries you. Dave may be a part of the team, but he’s also the only one out of the four of you without powers and if you’re honest with yourself you’d much rather have Dave be the one on civilian duty, where it’s safer and he’s less at risk than Jade.

 

Unfortunately, you know rationally that Jade’s vines would be much better at containing and guarding bystanders that Dave’s sword, (And that Rose is almost always correct in her foreshadowing of positions within the group), so you let the issue be.

 

Leaning into Dave’s presence, you speak up quietly as to not allow anyone walking below the roof to overhear.

 

“Can you see anything in your vision about where Dave and I should fight? The Queen doesn’t usually go after museum heists, and I’m pretty sure Sollux is as stumped on her plans as we are considering how many factories and power grids she’s been to the past few months.” You pause, thinking back to your last conversation with the police of chief’s head technology expert.

 

“Maybe there’s a reason she’s here, something she needs from the museum possibly? English and her were close associates before he vanished so maybe she’s finishing one of his previous heists?” Dave questions aloud, the only giveaway to the nervous energy pent up inside him being his hand hand squeezing against your own under the hidden depths of his cape.

 

“It’s possible,” Rose reasoned, walking tentatively away from the edge of the roof “but the only hints my visions are giving me on the situation are the possible civilian casualties.”

 

She paces the roof a bit agitatedly, obviously upset at the lack of information her supposed ability is feeding her. “All I can assure you is that she’s planning something big, and from the looks of it, has a set plan in mind for this particular heist.”

 

You nod solemnly and turn your attention back towards the open field that turned into Washington Park while rubbing your fingers against Dave’s knuckles absentmindedly.

 

“According to Rose’s visions and whatever information we can get from Sollux and Nepeta at the police station, the Queen should arrive any minute now. We all know the drill, keep our earpieces in, stick together when at all possible, and most importantly-”

 

“Don’t get caught without our masks, got it friendleader.” Dave replied, giving you a reassuring grin as he nudged you playfully.

 

You snorted at the nickname but returned Dave’s nudge, grateful for the temporary distraction. Rose rolled her eyes affectionately while Jade just grinned, both heroes enjoying the peaceful moment before they would inevitably have to go fight.

 

Just as Dave opened his mouth to throw a fake complaint at the playful shove, a large explosion sounded from the inside of the history museum which quickly followed by the screams of a few nearby people.

 

You jumped to action almost immediately, throwing on your mask before scrambling to put your glasses back on. You find your friends in similar like frenzies before they turn their attention towards you, looking for their orders.

 

“Jade, you need to start at the museum entrance and work your way inside, make sure no one is hurt and assist those who are. Try to keep the bots off civilians if you can, when the robots become too much shoot a vine around the museum’s flag pole and Rose will help you from there.” Jade nodded in acknowledgement and quickly strung a vine onto a nearby street post, shimming down it like a fire pole and racing across the park’s greenery towards the shouting museum goers.

 

You turn your attention towards Rose while quickly grabbing hold of your custom-made hammer, slinging it over your shoulder and barking out orders while you go.

 

“Rose I need you to keep the robots away from the museum, assuming that something inside is the Queen’s target. If you get another vision with more information of the Queen’s goals then report it through the comms immediately. Otherwise, await Jade’s signal and keep on the lookout for anything suspicious.” You nod her off and watch Rose leap to the neighboring building's roof, disappearing over the rooftops before turning your attention to Dave.

 

“Dave?”

 

“Yeah?” Dave responds through his red mask, holding his record engraved sword close.

 

“You ready to fight some robots for the fifteenth time this week?” You ask with a semi playful tone. He smirks.

 

“Ten bucks says I take down more than you.”

 

You grin and step towards the roof’s edge, giving Dave a chaste kiss on the lips.

 

“You’re on.”

____________________________________________

  


It takes about fifteen minutes of fighting to figure out that whatever the Queen is planning with this heist, she plans on going all out to successfully pull it off.

 

You just hammered a robot the size of an elephant to pieces, when you catch sight of the Queen herself standing among an array of the largest robots you’ve seen her produce yet. Who even _knows_ how she gets this many mechanical robots manufactured without suspicion from the authorities.

 

“Knight! Seer! I have eyes on the Queen!” You call out into the comm system in your earpiece, dodging a blow that a passing bot throws your way.

 

“Don't get too close Heir, we still don't know what she's planning” You hear Rose’s voice get relayed back through your earpiece just as you summon a large gust of wind that leaves four robots thrashing helplessly on the ground.

 

You look over your shoulder at Dave who barely has time to nod in agreement with Rose’s words before he's already moving forward with his sword, slicing a robot in half that had become a few mere inches away from his backside.

 

Quickly summoning gusts of wind, you pent up the energy and let it loose on the robots surrounding you and your boyfriend, becoming a bit pleased when the action gives the two of you enough room to form a back to back position against your foes.

 

Taking a quick surveying glance at the surrounding robots, you risk a quick look at where you last saw the Queen.

 

To your surprise, the Queen hadn't made any moves towards the museum but instead had taken hold of a machine you hadn’t seen her use before. In fact, you've never seen anything like it at all.

 

Two of the robots previously guarding her station had taken hold of four separate parts of what looked to you like a large metallic circle. They fused it together with steel bolts and quickly connected it to a main frame that the Queen herself seemed to be getting online.

 

Whatever it was that she was putting together, you doubt it would end well.

 

“Seer,” You whack your hammer against an approaching bot’s mainframe, making a metal clang echo briefly while you kick the robot backwards. “can you see what the Queen’s setting up over there?”

 

You pause, forcing a burst of wind against a nearby robot approaching Dave from his blindside.

 

“I can't get a good look from where I'm standing, and I have the feeling someone needs to stop her before she finishes whatever it is she's powering up over there.”

 

You hear Rose grunt over the com lines before she manages to catch her breath.

 

“I'm a little preoccupied as of the moment! And my visions aren't assisting me much in that regard.”  She huffs and you hear the clang of metal and circuits through the connecting line, signaling that Rose is distracted and wouldn't be able to continue the conversation any further until she's disposed of the enemies around her.

 

As you ram your hammer into yet another robot’s circuitry, you hear a sound that can only be described as a queen’s gleeful cackle, sending shivers down your spine.

 

Using pent up air, you force the robots around you to collapse, revealing a large oval-like metal rim set upright by the Queen’s platform; only supported by a lone steel beam you had overlooked on the hard cement ground of the park’s walkway.

 

You force your gaze away from the device and towards the Queen, and are stilled when you realise she's grinning at you from where she stands by her robotic minions.

 

Not taking your gaze away from her, you turn on your earpiece.

 

“Betas, I'm going after the Queen. Knight will have my back but I need to make sure Witch is successfully keeping the civilians from harm.” You speak into the coms, breaking away from your back to back position with Dave in order to gauge his reaction.

 

“I'm alright over here Heir! Just freeing the last of the civilians from the rubble now.” You hear Jade call out easily through your earpiece.

 

“I dislike this plan immensely, but I can’t see any other options with my lack of visions and current-” a clash is heard through the background of Rose’s communication link. “-predicament.”

 

Dave looks over your shoulder at the Queen’s hard stare and nods at you tersely.

 

“I'll follow you in. But just so you know, I've already destroyed three more bots than you have, putting me in the lead. I can smell those ten bucks already.” He smirks, and you can hear Jade let out a sigh over the coms.

 

“How many times do we have to tell you two? No flirting over the communication channel!” You let out a laugh, much to Jade’s disapproval, and start making your way towards the Queen’s platform with Dave right at your heels.

 

“That's hardly flirting, Witch, I'd just call that a friendly competition during the fight- holy shit okay this not a normal Queen heist.” You look upwards, following Dave’s finger pointing the way forward and couldn't help but agree with him.

 

The oval-like rim that you had previously seen the two larger robots set up has apparently become fully operational, leaving you staring in awe at a glowing blue and black portal not even twenty feet away from where you stand.

 

Your body seems to reboot itself when you notice the Queen grin at you and take a step closer towards the portal, and suddenly you're in the air faster than you can remember moving.

 

“Heir wait-! Frick!”

You can hear Dave scramble to catch up behind you, but by now you've already made it to front of the Queen's lines. You think Rose is yelling at you in the comms- something about another vision?

 

“I've been waiting for you, Heir.” The Queen's smooth voice calls out, her back turned towards you. “I’d wondered how long it would take before you noticed my intentions here were not the usual heist. Still can't quite _fathom_ how English could possibly figure _you_ to be the main threat.”

 

She grits out the words like they were bitter to the taste, managing to keep you well distracted from Dave’s overwhelmed voice a few ways behind you.

 

“What's your plan here Black Queen?” You call out, hoping with every ounce of your being that your nerves aren’t showing on your face as much as you think they are.

 

“Straight to the point? Very well.” She turns around to face you, snapping her fingers as she does so. Almost immediately, two of the larger robots from before materialize right behind you, leaving you to let out a yelp of surprise when they clamp onto your arms and hold you in place.

 

It’s then that the familiar sounds of your comm system come crashing back into your eardrums.

 

“-I need someone to get the fuck back over here, Jo- Heir can't seem to hear me- maybe he's in a trance or something I'm not sure-”

“Knight you need to calm down and focus on getting Heir out of there immediately! Heir’s fate is in danger here and my visions have only just started giving me information-”

“The civilians have been successful evacuated, I'm heading towards Washington Park now!”

 

You struggle in your robotic restraints and try using the wind around you to fly out of the robots’ grip. Much to your avail, the bots holding you steady dig their drill-like feet into the cement ground in defiance of your struggles.

 

“You see ‘Heir’, there was a reason the infamous Lord English vanished without a trace. When was it? Nine months ago?” The Queen circles around you teasingly, her body language letting you know that she is merely toying with you. You struggled against the bonds holding you down, wishing with all you have that Dave or Jade might get here soon.

 

“He's on a _very_ important mission right now, and I'm afraid that you've just now become a part of it. You're quite lucky that I don't kill you where you stand now, actually.” The Queen frowns like she's terribly disappointed she can't stab you in the heart.

 

“Of course,” she pauses, giving you a sly look before inching you and your captors ever so closer towards the portal. “when Lord English himself requests something be done. Then so be it.”

 

You see Dave flash-step his way past the robots guarding the small circle, just barely managing to catch sight of him slashing his sword across the portal’s control panel when the Queen shoves both you and your robot captors right through it.

 

You think you hear Dave shout your name, along with Jade who had arrived at the scene just moments before the Queen pushed you through. Then you see stars and galaxies, and suddenly, you can't see anything at all.


	2. Home Away From Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Almost as soon as the blackness in your vision appears it fades away, leaving you acutely aware of the large robotic limbs attaching themselves to your arms as you and your captors fall onto what feels like a hard wooden surface. 
> 
>  
> 
> “What. The. Fuck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah guys I managed to upload chapter two on time!!! :D Just in case any of y'all haven't noticed- I'll be uploading a new chapter every Wednesday so stay tuned for more!

Almost as soon as the blackness in your vision appears it fades away, leaving you acutely aware of the large robotic limbs attaching themselves to your arms as you and your captors fall onto what feels like a hard wooden surface.

You blink away the blurry surroundings and struggle into an upright position, ignoring the broken pieces of polished wood around you and ripping off a robotic limb in the process of surging to your feet. You waste no time in summoning a surge of air around you, still extremely powerful without your hammer that you assumed to have dropped while on the other side of the portal.

Punching one of your robotic captors in the circuitry, you yank out a handful of wires and kick the robot to the carpeted floor. You turn to the last remaining bot without even missing a beat, letting the wind you had surged forward loose on its bolts and wiring.

Giving the robot one last kick for good measure, you allow your feet to land back on the solid carpeted ground and let yourself sigh in relief now that the main threat is contained.

“What. The. Fuck.”

You tense, whipping your eyes upward in the direction of the voice and immediately do a double take.

Behind the shambles that used to be a coffee table sits a large cushioned couch, and if you listen carefully, you can hear the sounds of Ghostbusters playing faintly from the TV on the other side of the room. The couch, of course, isn’t what caught your attention.

Sitting on the couch are two, obviously ruffled and kind of shaking, young boys, probably not much older than fourteen.

The teen who you’d heard speak looked exactly like and if not then eerily similar to: Dave. Blonde hair, red eyes that you can just barely make out from behind those dumb shades of his, and an odd looking messily buttoned red flannel that hung low on his torso.

The other teen, who is staring at you in both wonder and disbelief, looks like an exact copy of teenage-you.

Messy black hair that’s impossible to comb, braces, a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, and a simple-styled dark blue t-shirt.

You break your gaze away from the photo-like copy of yourself and look at the broken shambles that used to be his coffee table.

“Uh- oops?”

There’s a still silence until mini-Dave stands up tentatively from his spot on the cushion, keeping one side of his body in front of mini-you protectively.

“Who are you?” He asks, trading a glance with mini-you before meeting your gaze. It occurs to you that you still have your mask on, and you think back to the last order you gave to your team about keeping your identities a secret.

Looking back at youmger-Dave’s face, you realize with a jolt that there is no way you’re getting out of this without revealing who you are.

Admittedly, you’re very aware that you’re going to regret this later, yet you take off your glasses and mask anyways, before delicately placing your glasses back on the bridge of your nose. You watch the teens’ eyes widen, and you clear your throat before breaking the tension with your voice, confidently announcing your identity to these kids that appear to be a younger version of you and your boyfriend even though your inner mind is shouting at you in disbelief for going against literally every protocol you’ve set up for your superhero team.

“I’m the Heir of Breath, a superhero fighting for the protection of Washington’s people, and my name is John Egbert.”

…

 

…

 

...

 

“I’m sorry, you’re a what now?” You hear mini-you yelp, jolting up from the couch and standing next to mini-Dave.

You swallow the knot of apprehension building in your throat, this was going to be a long day.

“I’m a superhero, I have powers and I- well- I fight bad guys.” Very eloquent explanation John. You chide yourself, finishing the sentence lamely as you fidget under the scrutinizing gazes of younger you and Dave.

“Powers? You mean like the- the weird thing you did with the air just a second ago?” Dave asks, motioning with his hands at the pile of robotic innards.

 

“Yeah, like that! I can fly, and control the wind around me.” You frown, pausing for a moment before you turn towards younger you. “Aren’t you able to do that? I gained control over the powers when I was like, twelve, and you’re what? Thirteen?”

“Fourteen, actually.” Mini-you looks at your costume with a hint of childish wonder in his eyes. “But uh- no I haven’t got any cool windy things up my sleeve.”

That seemed to finally shake younger you out of his superhero-induced awe and you watch as he gains a frantic look to his face. “Oh shit the coffee table! Dad literally just bought that oh my god.”

You look sheepishly at the splinters of broken wook laying on the floor. “Yeah sorry about that, when the bots got a hold of me I didn’t really think about the casualties of new furniture.”

You lean over to clean up the mess, noticing mini-you and Dave start moving to help you in your peripheral vision, the three of you only stopping your jittery cleaning to rummage through the electrical wiring of the robots you had previously torn to pieces.

Deciding that the carpet was clean enough, you gingerly use the wind in the room just enough to lift the shambles of wood into the trash can, which you noticed wasn’t anything like the style of living room you remember having in your teenage years.  
Huh. If mini you didn’t have any powers, and this room isn’t exactly like you remember, well- that rules time travel off the list you guess.

“So- uh.” You turn your attention to this version of Dave and notice with a slight hint of amusement that he appears to be a bit uneasy at your presence.

“Do you mind telling us why the flying fuck you’re in John’s living room and what that metal machinery did to deserve such a beat down, or will we just have to continue thinking this is some late night hallucination?” Dave asks, walking over to who you’ve now assumed to be an alternate version of yourself. “Because I sure as hell would like confirmation I’m not on some popcorn high or something before I have an internal freakdown.”

You laugh lightly and give the teens a strained smile.

“Well- I can’t exactly give you a straight answer since I’m not sure what exactly happened myself but,” You pause, looking over at the duo who seem to be not so subtly watching your every move, as if you’d disappear at any moment. “I guess I can try!”

 

_______________________________________

 

“Okay so you’re saying,” Alternate Dave sighs and rubs his face tiredly, you’ve been talking for maybe half an hour, but it’s probably at least midnight by the looks of the darkness tinting the windows outside so it’s unsurprising to find that mini you and Dave had yawned at least once or twice throughout your little speech.

“That in some universe out there, John and I and our cousins, apparently, are all superheroes?”

You nod, tapping your foot to let out some of the nervous energy faintly coursing through your body.  
“Yup, Team Beta is one of the top crime fighting forces out there, probably the best in Washington! But we’ve only been lucky that no one found out about our identities this far into fighting crime.” You reply easily, wincing as you thought back to how often the four of you would have to evade reporters and newscasters before changing back into your casual clothing.

“So- you were fighting this Queen lady,” Mini-you speaks up, fiddling with the hem of his shirt absentmindedly. “got separated from your team, dragged through the weird portal thing, and somehow ended up in my living room?”

“That just about sums it up. The only options I can think of from here would be to rebuild the portal, which is kinda impossible without the blueprints or a power source, or get in contact with my teammates.” You finish, sagging a little at the low chances you seem to have at returning to your friends, or to your universe for that matter.

You watch the younger version of yourself frown while Dave’s expression remains a neutral but not necessarily uncaring look. Finally, alternate you speaks up.  
“What if we tell my dad? I’m pretty sure my grandpa has connections to a few people, maybe they can help you build a communicator or something since the one in your ear is fuzzed out.”

You’re about to whole-heartedly voice your complaints against the idea but you manage stop yourself, thinking it over a little longer.

What if this is your only shot at getting back to your friends? You’ve got no contacts here, no one who you can ask for materials and no money to get them even if you did happen to miraculously find someone selling the items needed to go through with multi-dimensional communication.

There’s a silence that lasts a little longer than you’d like to admit before you finally let out a sigh, nodding your head slowly in agreement while younger-you breaks into a large grin.

“Hey wait a second- I can’t just go around calling both of you John, that’ll get confusing real quick.” Dave interjects just as you were about to stand up from the couch that the three of you had gravitated to in the midst of your conversation.

You think for a moment, allowing yourself to fully process what you’re doing and how crazy this all seems before finally giving Dave a smile.

 

“You can call me Heir.”

 

_______________________________________

 

“Hey dad? I wanted to talk to you about something.”

 

You faintly hear John, it never fails to feel weird calling him that, walk over to his father’s seat at the dining room table.

After talking it over some more with Dave and John, the three of you had decided that John would be the one to introduce you to your alternate dad, while Dave would come in as backup if need be. Which lead to where you are now, waiting out of sight in the hallway for John to give the signal indicating that you should make yourself known, while Dave stood beside you, ready to intervene if it’s deemed necessary.

 

“John? Why it’s nearly one in the morning! Shouldn’t you be in bed by now?” You smile fondly at the sound of your father’s voice. Alternate dad or not, he’s still just as concerned about your curfew as ever.

“Yeah well uh- something kinda happened during the movie Dave and I were watching, and well- we thought you should know about it.”

You hear the sound of crumpling paper and assume that John’s dad had closed the paper he was reading in favor of looking over at his son.

“Is there something wrong with the cable?” He asks, sighing at the implications of messing around with the wiring at the back of the TV. “I knew that flimsy wire would break off eventually-”

“Uh actually,” You hear John shuffle around, possibly to pull up a stool or a chair, before he continues his thought. “There’s been an unexpected visitor.”

You take that as your cue, taking a deep breath of air before slowly walking forward into the light of the dining room.

Geez, this is crazy what are you even thinking! Telling your alternate dad that you’re a superhero?! You are so gonna regret this later.

 

You take another step into the hallway, faintly aware of the newspaper falling onto the floor as it slipped away from John’s Dad’s hands.

“I need your help.”

_______________________________________

 

“So you’re tell me,” John’s Dad paused, rubbing a hand through his hair in a feeble attempt to keep the exhaustion and sheer magnitude of the information at bay. “-that you are not only my adult son from an alternate universe, but also a superhero. A feat that seems just as impossible as it does unreasonable?”

You nod, noticing John fidget from his spot on the left of his dad, while nervousing watching the eyes of the man in front of you switch between disbelief and confusion.

“I don’t suppose you have any proof that this isn’t some extremely elaborate prank?” Dad finally replies after a moment or two of stilling silence.

Pausing a moment to think, you stand up from the stool you’d been sitting on and clasp your hands together with a grin.

Careful as to not disturb any delicate porcelain china littering the cabinetes behind you, you allow wind to flow through your hands, watching the faces of your alternate family and boyfriend with amusement as you hover a good several inches above the ground.

You point towards two plush toys on the ground and motion the wind around you to lift them up, smiling at the look of awe on your alternate dad’s face.

You carefully use your hands to pull the air forward, allowing the two plush squiddles to bounce and dance in the wind that now circulated the room. You smile softly and make the two toys dance in the air, briefly reminded of the times you would hoist Dave into the air and the two of you would dance and laugh and fly in the blue ocean of sky that was meant for just the two of you.

You break away from the memory and let the red and blue squiddles fall into Dave and John’s hands respectively, giving a mock bow as you land on the wooden floor.

“Is that enough proof of my powers for you to believe my story?” You ask, giving the three awed people in front of you who were both strangers and close family a triumphant grin.

Dad looks at the swiddles in his son and Dave’s hands like they’re about to jump around and dance away before giving you a slight nod of his head, the look of wonder never leaving his eyes.

“It’s certainly enough to leave me speechless that’s for sure.” He laughs breathlessly, standing up from his chair to delicately pick up his phone from the table. “It looks like I’ll have to make some phone calls. This will require backup that I can’t quite provide on my own.”

John cheers and you let out a sigh of relief, watching John start chattering away with Dave excitedly while his Dad stepped out of the room to make the phone call.

Taking a look around this kitchen that isn’t anything like you own childhood home, you can’t help but think about your own family and friends. Was the mission successful? Were there any casualties? Where they worried about you? Dave was probably freaking out, he always does whenever you get hurt in battle.

You sigh and close your eyes, wishing you knew how this unexpected adventure might end, and wishing that Dave was at your side to give you the courage a hero needs in a situation such as this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading my fanfic! Please tell me what you think of it in the comments below! <3


	3. Going Places

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr.Egbert books a flight for four to Harley Island and we finally get a glimps back home in Heir's world

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man im super sorry about the late update yall!! I was on a family vacation last week and was unfortunetly without a strong internet connection!! :( However, i will try to stay as diligant as possible with my updating schedule and I have a slight hint of a feeling that there might be a bonus update to make up for the chapter lost due to vacation time. That is, of course, just a superstition and only 60% likely to come true if not for feedback ;) Without further adew, here is the next chapter! I hope yall enjoy!

As it turns out, John’s Dad, who you’ve just decided to call Mr.Egbert in your head for convenience sake, had called up his own father to discuss the matter at hand. Grandpa Harley had suggested that you make a trip to his island, which the Egbert family had apparently already planned on booking as a family reunion of sorts before your arrival caused them to make such abrupt changes, so he could see for himself the predicament you were in before calling up professionals for a situation he knew little to nothing about.

Apparently, Mr.Egbert had agreed, which lead to him booking four seats to a flight towards Grandpa Harley’s private island, and (according to John) Jade’s once she comes of age, for an afternoon flight the next day.

Mr.Egbert had offered you to stay on the living room couch, assuring you that the four of you would leave for the airport the next morning.

You had thanked him repeatedly, and reminded him several times over that you could just fly to the island yourself, and that the three of them really didn’t have to come along since John and Dave probably had school tomorrow and you don’t want to trouble them further-

At which Mr.Egbert insisted that it really wasn’t a problem. Any son of his, alternate universe or not, was always welcome in the Egbert Family home. Dave helpfully piped up by informing you that it was Sunday and spring break started tomorrow, leaving them free to fly over to Grandpa Harley’s island for the week assuming Dirk gave Dave permission to come with them.

 

A couple texts, a new change of clothes, and several clean blankets covering the living room couch later, and Dave had received confirmation from his brother that he could fly with the Egberts to the Harley island.

You were grateful at the opportunity to change out of your superhero outfit, if a little embarrassed to have to borrow your alternate father’s clothes since John didn’t have any that fit you.

You yawn and walk into the living room, carefully maneuvering around various furniture until you plop oh so graciously onto the couch cushions.

“Heir?” You startle and turn towards the door frame, watching Mr.Egbert walk timidly into the room. “I wanted to inform you of my father’s- well, let's say ‘adventurous' tendencies. I have no doubt in my mind that he'll be able to find the right people to get you home, assuming that your home really is where you say it is, but I thought I'd warn you in advance of his energetic attitude towards discovery.”

“If he's anything like my grandpa then I'm sure he's more than capable of bringing me home.” You smile lightheartedly before lowering your voice into a more serious tone. “Thanks again for uh- letting me stay the night and stuff. I know that this all sounds pretty unbelievable at this point.”

Mr.Egbert laughs, taking several steps forward until he’s crouching close to the couch. “It’s not a problem son, though I must agree that this does sound a bit on the crazy side for my tastes,” he pauses, looking you in the eyes meaningfully before continuing his thought. “But something about you makes me believe it all.”

He looks thoughtful for a moment as the room quiets and all that can be heard is the gentle breeze knocking against the window.

Sighing, Mr.Egbert stands up and ruffles your hair lightly, giving you an odd sense of homesickness for your real dad but making you chuckle under your breath nonetheless.

“I'll see you in the morning Heir.” Mr.Egbert says over his shoulder, gently turning off the lights in his wake.

“See you in the morning.” You whisper, mostly to yourself, as the door clicks shut behind him.

 

That night, you dream of family, cakes, and the steely determination that echos into your subconsciousness, of reuniting with your friends who are so so far away from you.

 

_______________________________________

 

Your name is Dave Strider and you're more panicked than you'd care to admit. It's been 16 hours since you watched John disappear into a portal in Washington Square, and so far there has been no signs of that changing.

“What do you mean you don't know!”

“Calm down Dave, the police are doing the best they can, but it's hard to track something as unpredictable as interdimensional travel. They don't even know for sure if John’s alive.” Rose explains with an edge of exhaustion creeping into her tone.

You freeze and spin around to face your cousin.

After the defeat of the Black Queen, whom police have identified as a woman named Susana Anderson, a relentless search for Heir was immediately put into action. Starting with police checking any and all scanners that were confiscated after the Queen’s arrest and even leading to a one on one interrogation with ‘the Queen’ herself.

Unfortunately, the only information interrogators could pull from the villainess were incomprehensible babbling.

Of course, that only made your already very stressed worrying (and a little more than slight panic) worse. Not only was the fate of the team teetering on the edge without their leader there to subdue and reassure the press; but John, who is you boyfriend and the happy-go-lucky leader your small group of friends have come to know and love, is fucking missing and the police can’t get a trace of him in any scanner even if they only know John as Heir. If anyone were to ask one of the heroes on Team Beta, they would respond with tight lipped replies and unsteady assurances that didn't take a professional to figure out were more for themselves than for the general public’s ease.

“John has to be alive. I know he's out there. All the reports pointed towards some form of teleportation right? Interdimensional or not, he's out there. All we have to do is fucking find him!” You pace around the kitchen you and John share anxiously, trying to hide the tears you've suppressed since hearing the news at the police station, that were threatening to fall from your eyes.

Rose looked torn, obviously just as upset at the disappearance of her friend as you were, but also willing to think rationally about the situation regardless as to how utterly crushing the facts may be.

She sighed, peering at the now darkened skies outside the window of the small apartment. “Of course he is, but we must let ourselves consider the possibility that it'll be a lot harder trying to bring him back home than it seems, if we can find him at all, that is.”

You slump into one of the wooden chairs surrounding the kitchen table, the stress of keeping the team’s identities a secret along with the disappearance of John finally starting to crash into your weary form.

“Y-Yeah. I know what you mean. Fuck. I don't,” You pause rubbing a hand across your face tiredly. “I don't know what I'm fucking doing Rose. I just…”

You carefully take off your shades and set them onto the table with practiced care, speaking very softly while looking anywhere but Rose’s eyes. “I'm so fucking worried about him.”

Rose broke her gaze away from the night sky and gave you a weak smile, gently stepping around a few loose documents so she could give you any ounce of comfort her presence may produce.

“We all are, but I think the best thing we can do for him now is let the professionals do what they can.” She sighs softly, rubbing comforting circles into your back. “It would be counterproductive to not save our strength while we still have it. Because, if you stay up at night worrying, you won't get any work done, much less get closer to finding John’s location. We should get a good night’s rest and continue our search for him in the morning. Alright?”

She pauses and waits in silence until, after what feels like an eternity, you relent and let out a dejected and equally exhausted nod, shakily getting to your feet.

She gently nudges you across the wooden floor, stopping only to open the door that lead to the room you share with John, before quietly gathering more comfortable sleepwear from the beura.

You slip one of John’s sweatshirts over your head and quietly shuffle between the covers of the bed, watching Rose place the pair of shades you had apparently forgotten in the other room on the bedside table.

“Hey Rose?”

Rose looks up at you with a raised eyebrow, one hand resting on the lightswitch.

“Yes David?”

You pause, closing your eyes for a brief moment, taking in the faint smell of John that still resides in the fabric of his sweatshirt.

“Thanks.”

She smiles, eyes drooping with exhaustion and distant worry for a friend lost in places unknown.

“It’s no problem. We will find him, you know. Nothing in the world can stop a hero on a mission, especially a team of them. And I’ll bet you anything that John is trying just as hard as we are to get him back home.” And with that, she flips off the lights of the small apartment bedroom; leaving the now quiet expanse of space in a darkness that was both comforting and eery.

 

But as soon as Rose leaves the room you turns onto your side, laying a hand on the empty expanse of blankets that would, on any other occasion, contain John’s half-asleep form. You sigh, a pit of worry and loneliness settling in your stomach as you await for the quiet comfort of sleep to take you subconscience away.

 

That night, among your restless sleep, you dream of dancing and laughter and wind in big open skylines, and of portals trapping the one you love so far far away.

 

_______________________________________

 

Your name is John Egbert and wow you forgot how early your dad wakes up.

It took a few gentle shakes at your side before you find yourself awake not in your usual bedroom, but on the couch of your Alternate-Universe-Dad.

Speaking of which, after a few apologies on his part Dadbert explains he simply wanted to get a head start on packing and needed your opinion on a few things, or more specifically, what kind of clothes you'd bring.

Mr.Egbert plucks a mini blue duffel bag from somewhere along the left-hand side of the couch and hands it to you, along with a few pairs of his own clothes, assuring you that they’d stop at a local store along the way to get you more toiletries and other essentials.

After you’d thanked him and insisted you should make breakfast as compensation, John and Dave finally emerged out from their temporarily shared room, looking slightly disheveled from sleep but willing to head to the kitchen simply because of the alluring smell of blueberry pancakes.

 

Almost two hours later and the four of you had eaten breakfast, packed a few pairs of clothes and toiletries, and made your way to the airport; but not without stopping at a store along the way to get you some travel clothing that fit you better than Mr.Egbert’s spares. At this point, you were just glad your credit card worked in a different dimension; from what bank it might have pulled money off of you may never know.

All in all, you’d say the morning went by fairly productively, though you were slightly off put to find that, when you woke up, you had almost forgotten you weren’t in your old childhood home but instead another plane of existence. (Or so you assumed)

 

Regardless, the airplane ride gave you a lot of time to get your thoughts wrapped together. On one hand, you were stuck in what’s assumed to be another universe. A universe where not only do neither you, nor your friends, have superpowers, but you're also teenagers who have never seen each other face to face aside from a few select occurrences. Apparently, Dave convinced his older siblings to move to Washington after a hurricane damaged their apartment beyond repair. Leading to his move, a mere several blocks away from John’s home.

According to John, Rose and Jade had seen each other face to face a grand total of once; when Jade’s grandpa had taken her on a trip to explore the wonders of Europe and she was just close enough to France for her to justify spending the excess money to meet up with Rose for a few days.

Aside from Dave’s sudden move, cousin to cousin obligatory meetups, and the one-time trip to Europe. The four teens, who’ve apparently been internet friends since around seventh grade, have never actually met all at once.

 

This both saddens you and shocks you, because you've always lived close to your friends! Well- not counting college. Sure, the four of you had lived maybe a city or two over, but you could still drive there and see each other daily if you'd asked your dad enough times!

It gives you a slight comfort to note that, hey, at least the four of you were still friends! If it's a universal constant then it has to be a team meant to be, right?

 

Sighing, you turn your head out the window and put the pair of free airplane grade earbuds into your ears; ignoring the hard plastic coating in favor or spacing out and listening to faded music, your thoughts anywhere but on the ground below.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! :D i appeciate any feedback yall have on my story, and i hope to update again real soon! <3 Till next Wednsday!

**Author's Note:**

> You finished the chapter!! :D Please tell me what you think of my story so far as I'm kind of new to the whole writing long-term stories thing and would gladly appreciate your feedback! Thanks for reading! <3


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